Guide
Queen Of Nothing Review: Softcult manage to make a song this politically charged while also feeling inviting. “Queen Of Nothing” wraps its feminist critique in layers of fuzz and reverb that pull you in before you’ve even processed what Mercedes Arn-Horn is actually saying. The production here feels intentionally raw, which makes sense given that Phoenix handles everything in their home studio through a Universal Audio interface.
The guitar work uses that Fender Jazzmaster through a chain of effects like the EarthQuaker Devices Hizumitas fuzz and Walrus Audio Slö reverb to create these huge, enveloping walls of sound that somehow never feel overwhelming. The vocals sit just slightly beneath the surface of the mix in true shoegaze fashion, almost like they’re part of the texture itself rather than sitting on top of it. That ethereal quality, clearly influenced by Elizabeth Fraser, gives the song this dreamlike atmosphere even when it’s addressing the harsh realities of patriarchal double standards.
Structurally, the track follows that classic quiet-loud-quiet dynamic that both grunge and shoegaze have always done well, but Softcult adds their own spin by keeping things relatively compact and punchy. The verses feel contained and almost delicate before the choruses explode with Phoenix’s driving drums and those stacked guitar layers processed through the MO-2 Multi-Overtone pedal for that high-octave shimmer.
What makes this different from a lot of contemporary shoegaze revival stuff is the directness of the message combined with the band’s DIY approach to recording. They’re clearly drawing from My Bloody Valentine and Cocteau Twins, but there’s also this riot grrrl urgency underneath everything that keeps the song from feeling like it’s just chasing a particular aesthetic. It’s not perfect, and sometimes the lo-fi production choices mean certain details get a bit lost in the mix, but that actually works in the song’s favor. It feels lived in and authentic rather than overly polished.
Song Analysis (Queen Of Nothing Review)
Right from the opening notes, you’re hit with shimmery, almost metallic-sounding guitars that give the whole track this reflective quality. The production sits at around 94 beats per minute, which puts it in that perfect middle ground where it’s not quite a ballad but definitely not upbeat. It just floats along with this moody energy that matches the lyrical content perfectly.
What stands out to me is how much space the production gives Katy’s voice. Instead of drowning everything in layers of synths and electronic drums like her last album did, the team here clearly understood that less is more. The verses stay minimal, just Perry’s vocals over gentle guitar work and subtle atmospheric touches. Then as each section builds, the instrumentation grows with it, but never to the point where it overtakes the emotion she’s trying to convey.
The pre chorus sections are where you really feel the song starting to open up. More layers come in, the drums get a bit more prominent, and there’s this sense of rising tension that makes the chorus hit exactly right. And when that chorus does arrive, it’s fuller and more anthemic without ever feeling overproduced. Her vocals sit right at the front of the mix with harmonies adding depth underneath, and the whole thing just breathes in a way modern pop often forgets to allow.
I also love that the mixing keeps dynamic range intact too. Quiet moments feel genuinely intimate, and the louder sections have impact because they’re contrasted against that restraint. In an era where everything gets compressed to death for streaming platforms, hearing a pop song that actually uses volume and space as emotional tools feels refreshing.
Structurally, “Bandaids” doesn’t reinvent anything. It runs just over three minutes with a pretty standard verse, pre chorus, and chorus setup. But the way Perry and her collaborators use that framework creates something that feels hypnotic rather than repetitive. The song opens quietly, almost conversational, then builds through each section until you reach this emotional peak in the bridge.
That bridge is particularly effective because it directly references her 2019 song “Never Really Over,” creating this throughline in her catalog that acknowledges how relationships can haunt you even after they end. Then the final chorus brings in vocal ad libs that feel spontaneous, like she’s working through the emotion in real time rather than hitting predetermined notes.
Perry’s vocals sit mostly in her comfortable mid to upper chest range, with some powerful belting moments in the chorus that land around the fourth octave. But what’s notable is that she’s not showing off technically. There are no runs or vocal gymnastics for the sake of it. Every choice feels like it serves the song’s emotional truth, and that restraint makes the performance so much more effective.
The song’s in A flat major, which gives it this bittersweet quality that never tips too far into sadness or false hope. Combined with the tempo and the 4/4 time signature, it creates familiarity while still feeling deeply personal.
Lyrics
Verse 1
Queen of nothing
Always something to someone
Keep smiling
While you’re staring down their guns
So exhausting
But you brought it on yourself
Yeah, you got some nerve asking anyone for help
Verse 2
Queen of nothing
Won’t you get up off your knees?
Unbecoming
How you try so hard to please
It’s a man’s world
You can’t live in it for free
Yeah, you got some nerve asking for autonomy
Chorus
Nothing
Nothing
Nothing, no
Nothing
Nothing
Nothing, no
Bridge
Queen of nothing
Queen of nothing
Verse 3
Queen of nothing
Don’t you let ’em make you small
If you give an inch
Then you know they’ll take it all
Chorus
You owe them nothing
Nothing
Nothing
Nothing, no
Nothing
Nothing
Nothing
Meaning (My Opinion)(Queen Of Nothing Review)
“Queen of Nothing” really gets at that feeling of being emotionally drained from trying to please everyone all the time. The lyrics are about someone who’s learned to make themselves smaller, to be polite and go along with things, even when it’s clearly messing them up. That line “smiling while staring down their guns” stuck with me it’s this image of someone being vulnerable and getting taken advantage of, but they’re supposed to just stay quiet about it. And then there’s the whole self-blame thing woven through it (“you brought it on yourself”), which feels so real. Like when you’ve been made to feel guilty for pressures other people put on you in the first place.
The song works because it’s about taking that power back. Each verse kind of unpacks what it’s like trying to exist in a world where, let’s be honest patriarchal expectations are still very much a thing, and where you only get approval if you’re willing to lose yourself in the process. But then something shifts by the end. That “you owe them nothing” part stops being just words and starts feeling like actual release. It reminds you that your value doesn’t come from how much you sacrifice or how much pain you can handle for other people’s sake. The whole point is to stop shrinking yourself and actually claim the space you’ve always deserved.
Listen To “Queen Of Nothing” By Softcult (Queen Of Nothing Review)
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